Apple could be planning to greatly enhance its "Find My iPhone" security feature in the future, as the company has shown interest in giving users the ability to scramble or delete specific data, or even record audio or visual information in the event that an iPhone is lost.

Apple's new potential security options are detailed in a patent application made public this week and discovered by AppleInsider. Entitled "Proactive Security for Mobile Devices," the feature would offer extremely flexible, custom options for security measures on an iPhone.

For example, with specific data such as e-mail, contacts and stored passwords, users could selectively choose to either scramble, delete or ignore the information if the handset is reported stolen or missing.

Users could even choose to deny a potential thief access to certain features of the iPhone, including the ability to make phone calls or access Wi-Fi. Users could also prevent a security breach to a corporate network by having their iPhone automatically change VPN settings once a security risk has been detected.

But a user may also decide to continue to allow some features on a missing device, such as Wi-Fi or GPS, to help track down the handset and identify its location. Keeping that functionality active allows the rightful owner of the device to determine its place on a map.

In one example included in the application, the missing iPhone displays an alert that a secure password must be entered within 60 seconds or location data associated with the handset will be transmitted back to the owner.

If a correct password is not entered in time, the location data will be sent, and the device can also be locked and restricted only to the functionality chosen by the original owner. For example, the device could become password locked, and the only available activity would be to contact the original owner of the iPhone.

Apple's solution could also utilize the sensors inside of an iPhone to record unusual activity, and alert users that their handset is at security risk, potentially preventing it from being lost forever. Such a system could detect suspicious activities like calls or texts to an unknown number.

If an iPhone is reported stolen, the device could record images and ambient audio. This data could be provided to investigative authorities to help track down the hardware.

These options are more powerful and flexible than the existing Find My iPhone functionality, which late last year Apple made free for all iOS devices. The current service allows users to identify the location of their device, display a message on it, set a passcode lock, or remotely wipe it.

But in its patent application, Apple notes that features like the remote wipe command are an all-or-nothing approach that can be frustrating for users. If a remote wipe is conducted, the user is forced to restore all of the deleted information, which can be inconvenient and time consuming.

I make an iPhone app. It's pirated, like all other iOS apps, but Apple does not care about this. Why would they? Pirated apps or not, Apple gets money from hardware sales. They definitely care about protecting their hardware, but they don't give a sh...t about protecting our apps.

I make an iPhone app. It's pirated, like all other iOS apps, but Apple does not care about this. Why would they? Pirated apps or not, Apple gets money from hardware sales. They definitely care about protecting their hardware, but they don't give a sh...t about protecting our apps.

You're the one who does that.

Applications themselves can tell when they're pirated; I've seen screenshots of stupid pirates who downloaded the wrong apps.

I did this protection. And devs of many other pirated apps did this. But since Apple does nothing about this, this protection is very easy to break, and pirates break it for more-or-less popular apps. Currently there's only one way to tell that the app is pirated - checking the encryption status. Pirates also know this, and they simply patch those checks, and my patched app thinks that it is not pirated.

I'm sorry, but this just sounds way too Big Brother-ish. It would intimate that Apple logs, records and saves each and every communication, whether by text, call or email, so that they could recognize if a thief (or you!) has made a new contact, not already on your list.

And being able to record audio and video by a remote command opens so many privacy holes that I can't imagine it would ever be approved. There's no such thing as unhackable software. How long before someone's legitimate and/or private activities get recorded and transmitted, unbeknownst to them, by their own phone? Apple would be crossing into extremely dangerous territory if they decide to go there. There's so much potential for evil, it should not even be a consideration. This is taking Facebook's very questionable (hopefully deemed illegal at some point) facial recognition efforts to privacy-shattering levels.

I actually wrote to Steve Jobs about "Find My iPhone" in March. It wasn't about these features but I think it's ridiculous (!) that anyone can just turn off the "Find My iPhone" setting option in the settings menu without entering a password. I recently had my iPhone stolen out of my hand and I couldn't track it because the setting option was turned off few minutes after the incident.

Quote:

Steve's reply:

Why didn't you have your password turned on?

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 31, 2011, at 12:48 AM XXX wrote:

Apple needs to change the Find my iPhone setting to ask for a password when trying to disable the feature.

My phone was recently stolen and I had the Find my iPhone-function activated. However, after a few minutes it was gone and the thief probably just deactivated it in the settings. This should not be possible, Steve. Thanks

I make an iPhone app. It's pirated, like all other iOS apps, but Apple does not care about this. Why would they? Pirated apps or not, Apple gets money from hardware sales. They definitely care about protecting their hardware, but they don't give a sh...t about protecting our apps.

The only people who can pirate your apps have jailbroken their OS. Anybody who wants to pirate apps and is jailbreaking their OS can conceivably use a jailbreak that removes any anti-piracy solution apple might attempt to place into iOS.

I'm sorry, but this just sounds way too Big Brother-ish. It would intimate that Apple logs, records and saves each and every communication, whether by text, call or email, so that they could recognize if a thief (or you!) has made a new contact, not already on your list.

And being able to record audio and video by a remote command opens so many privacy holes that I can't imagine it would ever be approved. There's no such thing as unhackable software. How long before someone's legitimate and/or private activities get recorded and transmitted, unbeknownst to them, by their own phone? Apple would be crossing into extremely dangerous territory if they decide to go there. There's so much potential for evil, it should not even be a consideration. This is taking Facebook's very questionable (hopefully deemed illegal at some point) facial recognition efforts to privacy-shattering levels.

It does sound big Brother-ish. And I think Apple actually feels the same way, given the application they just denied.

I make an iPhone app. It's pirated, like all other iOS apps, but Apple does not care about this. Why would they? Pirated apps or not, Apple gets money from hardware sales. They definitely care about protecting their hardware, but they don't give a sh...t about protecting our apps.